come in — become available or useful
phrasal verbB2IELTS 5+neutraloccasional
to become available, be received, or start being useful or important.
Say it like a native
Textbook A torch would prove extremely useful in this situation.
Native A torch would really come in handy here.
'Come in handy/useful' is the set phrase; 'prove extremely useful' is formal.
Pattern: come in (useful/handy/first/last)
In use
- This phone charger will come in handy when we travel.work
- Learning how to manage your time can really come in useful when you have a lot of assignments to complete.IELTS speaking
Common mistake
✗ This will come handy one day.
✓ This will come in handy one day.
The phrase is 'come IN handy' — don't drop 'in'.
Common collocations
come in handy/useful— handy, useful, one day, later
Don't confuse it
'Come in' here does not mean physically entering a place.
Related
- come in (enter (a place)) — Another meaning of 'come in' is 'enter (a place)'; compare the examples to keep the meanings separate.